Halifax councillors are mulling changes to modernize the municipality’s bylaws around taxi operators and drivers for rideshare companies, such as Uber.
The proposed amendments, which were recommended by the Transportation Standing Committee, aim to impose new licensing requirements on ridesharing services. The current bylaw requires the ridesharing companies to be licensed by the municipality but not the drivers themselves.
If passed, the bylaw amendments would require ridesharing drivers to submit background checks and training documents to the municipality for verification.
These requirements would include criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks, Nova Scotia driver’s abstracts, and English language proficiency testing. Drivers would also have to complete HRM’s online vehicle-for-hire training program.
A spokesperson for Uber in Canada says the change would impose unnecessary red tape, especially since the company already requires those checks for their drivers.
Rang pointed out the changes would result in $135 in new fees for drivers and an additional $100 every two years after meeting the initial requirements.
“These are new, duplicative requirements, which is going to increase costs and slow onboarding for drivers,” said spokesperson, Keerthana Rang.
“And for riders, it will make rides less reliable and more expensive.”
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Councillors are expected to vote on the first reading of the bylaw during Tuesday’s regional council meeting.
Rang says Uber Canada is “urging” council to vote against the changes.
“We’re urging council tomorrow to maintain the existing and effective framework that Halifax already has in place. It protects safety, ensures driver accountability and minimizes red tape on drivers to be on the road,” said Rang.
‘Reasonable request by the city’
Meanwhile, proponents of the bylaw changes include Casino Taxi president, Brian Herman.
Taxi drivers currently already have to send the results from their training and background checks to the municipality.
Herman says the municipality stepping in to regulate rideshare drivers can be beneficial for everyone in the industry.
“The unfortunate reality is that the municipality wants to is be certain that those record checks are being done in all cases, and just to know who’s driving each vehicle. I think that’s a very reasonable request by the city,” he said.
“I think the city is making some changes that they see is fit and appropriate for the industry, bringing it more in line with what other municipalities are starting to do across Canada and North America.”
He’s also supportive of the proposed change that would allow taxi operators to regulate their own fares. Currently, the municipality sets rates for taxis.
Municipal staff recommended a semi-regulated approach where taxi operators set their own rates but the rates are approved by the regulator.
“Taxi rates would be permitted to vary based on time of day or day of the week, such as an additional charge for a trip taken between certain hours, but may not vary based on weather conditions, special events, or vehicle availability,” the staff report noted.
Taxis would also be allowed to set a flat rate for certain pre-defined trips — such as an airport run. These flat rate trips would not be subject to the metered rate.
“We see this as a really big benefit to allow companies to use their own unique knowledge and their own understanding of their customers, and their drivers … to set fares independent of the municipality which needs to be a one-for-all situation,” he said.
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